Integrated piston-cylinder and control valve assembly

ABSTRACT

A hand held, automatic labelling machine in which the printing head and feed roller are powered by a double acting piston and cylinder. Pressurized fluid is directed to opposite sides of the piston through a valve member controlled by means of a sensing mechanism. An applicator roll is carried by the sensing mechanism so that contact between the applicator roll and an article to be labelled as a label is applied to the article automatically causes the next label to be printed and positioned opposite the applicator roll, ready for application to another article.

United States Patent [1 Finke Nov. 11, 1975 1 INTEGRATED PISTON-CYLINDERAND CONTROL VALVE ASSEMBLY [75] Inventor: Eugene W. Finke, Miamisburg,Ohio [73] Assignee: Monarch Marking Systems, Inc.,

Dayton, Ohio [22] Filed: June 13, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 369,668

Related US. Application Data [62] Division of Ser. No. 104,874, Jan. 8,

abandoned.

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 230,943 8/1880 lnnis 91/4661,095,057 4/1914 Wolf.... 91/466 X 1,204,666 11/1916 Kern 91/4662,119,056 5/1938 Peterson 249/96 X 2,126,089 8/1938 Brown a 123/193 C2,742,924 4/1956 Harter 137/625.48 X

|1o\ 3 "4 I84 |ao I84 2,777,427 l/l957 Nichols 92/136 X 2,888,679 6/1959Peterssen et a1 91/418 X 2,928,379 3/1960 Preciado 92/118 2,937,6225/1960 Brimhall 92/130 3,202,170 8/1965 Holbrook 137/625.27 X

3,218,938 11/1965 Bishop 91/417 X 3,221,770 12/1965 Faisandier 91/466 X3,283,784 11/1966 Ruchser 137/625.26 X

3,418,002 12/1968 Hennells 137/625.69 X

3,485,141 12/1969 Ott et a1 92/130 3,581,364 6/1971 Wyse 264/261 X3,678,811 7/1972 Penwell 92/169 Primary E.\'aminer-lrwin C. CohenAttorney, Agent, or Firm. loseph .1. Grass 57 'ABSTRACT A hand held,automatic labelling machine in which the printing head and feed rollerare powered by a double acting piston and cylinder. Pressurized fluid isdirected to opposite sides of the piston through a valve membercontrolled by means of a sensing mechanism. An applicator roll iscarried by the sensing mechanism so that contact between the applicatorroll and an article to be labelled as a label is applied to the articleautomatically causes the next label to be printed and positionedopposite the applicator roll, ready for application to another article.

9 Claims, 16 Drawing Figures I92 l L US. Patent Nov. 11,1975 SheetlofS3,918,351

7I 'IIIAJ/II1 US. Patent Nov. 11,1975 Sheet20f5 3,918,351

U.S. Patent Nov. 11, 1975 Sheet 3 of5 3,918,351

mid- 2 U.S. Patnt Nov. 11,1975 Sheet4of5 3,918,351

"hm a:

INTEGRATED PISTON-CYLINDER AND CONTROL VALVE ASSEMBLY CROSS REFERENCE TORELATED APPLICATIONS This is a division of application Ser. No. 104,874,filed Jan. 8, 1971, now abandoned. Reference is also made toapplications Ser. No. 104,873, filed Jan. 8, 1971, now Pat. No.3,784,665 and Ser. No. 243,142, filed Apr. 12, 1972, now Pat. No.3,840,422, which are owned by the same assignee as the presentapplication.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION US. Pat. No. 3,440,123 discloses a handlabeller which prints and dispenses a label from a roll of such labelsupon actuation of spring biased handle. This labeller includes a baseframe, an upper handle fixed to the base frame and a lower handlepivoted to the base frame for movement towards and away from the upperhandle. A printing head is mounted on a supporting framework which isfixed to the lower handle so that movement of the lower handle towardsthe upper handle causes the printing head to be moved towards and awayfrom a printing platen mounted on the base frame in opposition to theprinting head. A magazine is provided for carrying a roll of pressuresensitive labels adhered to a backing strip and the backing strip withlabels adhered thereto is trained through the labelling machine, overthe printing platen and thence, reversely between a pair of cooperatingdrive and idler rollers. A rack is associated with the supporting framefor the printing head and the rack cooperates with appropriate gearingand clutch mechanism to rotate the drive roller as the lower springbiased handle moves away from the upper handle when the pressure thereonis relaxed.

The above noted labeller contains many features in addition to thosedescribed above for regulating tension on the backing strip, indexingthe labels through the machine, preventing jamming and tearing of thestrip of labels, etc., all of which are described in detail in the abovenoted patent and which have contributed to the widespread acceptancewith which this labeller has been received in the industry. Despite themany advantages which the above noted labeller holds over prior artstructures, however, there are, nonetheless, certain areas open toimprovements.

For example, although the spring tension against which the lower handleworks is not excessive, it will be apparent that prolonged use of thelabeller, particularly by one not accustomed to using it, may cause some.fatique. Additionally, three sequential actions are required: squeezingthe handles together, releasing pressure on the handles and applying thelabel on an article by a wiping action.

Thus, the initial squeezing together of the upper and lower handles willcause the printing head to move toward the printing platen to imprintthe desired indicia on the particular label indexed over the platen atthat time. As the pressure on the handles is released the printing headsupporting frame and rack move upwardly and, through the one-way clutchmechanism associated with the drive roller, dispense the printed labelfrom the labelling machine. The labelling machine, with a freshlyprinted label positioned opposite an applicator roll associated with thelabeller, should then be manipulated with a wiping action to cause thelabel to be applied to the surface of the article to be labelled.

It will be seen, therefore, that despite the many advantageous featuresassociated with the above noted hand labeller and its widespreadcommercial acceptance, certain features thereof might be modified toadvantage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention resides in the provision of ahand held automatic labelling machine which is automatically operated tofeed a printed label into a labelling station in response to applicationof a label.

The hand held labeller of the present invention incorporates all of thedesirable features of the hand held labeller described above and in Pat.No. 3,440,123, but additionally incorporates certain improvements whichadd to both its efficiency and ease of operation. Thus, the hand heldlabeller of the present invention includes a base frame upon which ispivotally mounted a supporting frame carrying a printing head forrelative movement towards and away from a printing platen. A rackextending from the printing head supporting frame actuates, throughgearing and a one-way clutch mechanism, a drive roller to cause a seriesof labels adhered to a backing strip to be drawn through the labellingmachine, over the printing platen, and thence, over a strippingmechanism for separating each individual label from the backing stripfor application to an article to be labelled. Additionally, mechanism isprovided for indexing the labels through the machine, maintaining properbacking strip tension to prevent jamming of the labels through themachine, etc.

However, actuation of the supporting frame which carries the printinghead and the rack mechanism for driving the drive roller isaccomplished, not through a manually actuated handle, as in the abovenoted prior art labeller, but by means of a power driven mechanism. As aresult, it is not necessary to overcome spring pressure in squeezingtogether a pair of opposed upper and lower handles to cause the printingand dispensing of a label but instead, it is merely necessary to actuatea drive mechanism, which is carried in the single, hollow handleattached to the base frame of the labelling machine.

Preferably, actuation is accomplished automatically by meaens of anapplicator frame pivotally mounted on the base frame and carrying anapplicator to press printed labels against the articles to be labelled.Linkage extends from the applicator frame rearwardly to a control valvewhich controls a drive mechanism. In a preferred embodiment the drivemechanism is a double acting piston and cylinder and the control valveis operated by the applicator frame to direct the flow of a fluid underpressure alternately to opposite sides of the piston of the piston andcylinder mechanism. In this way, contact with the article to be labelledby the applicator will cause the applicator frame to pivot about itsconnection to the base frame, and through the linkage mechanism, cause alabel to be printed.

As the labeller is removed from the article labelled, the applicatorframe returns to its original position, repositioning the control valveand directing fluid under pressure to the opposite side of the piston.This in turn will cause the label just printed to be fed forward to theapplicator and the strip of labels to be advanced to position asubsequent label in position for printing.

With the hand held labeller of the present invention, therefore, manualoperation of the various components thereof is unnecessary and theprinting and dispensing of a label from the labelling machine isaccomplished by contacting the article to be labelled with theapplicator. Operation of the hand held labelling machine of the presentinvention, therefore, not only involves little physical exertion on thepart of the operator but requires little or no experience, co-ordinationor manual dexterity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an elevational view of oneside of a labelling machine according to the present invention withportions broken away for clarity and other portions shown in dottedlines;

FIG. 2 is another elevational view of the opposite side of a labellingmachine according to the present inventlon;

FIG. 3 is a view corresponding generally to FIG. 1 but on an enlargedscale and with components shown in a different position;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 3; FIG. 5 is an enlargedview of another portion of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view through a piston and cylinder mechanism andcontrol valve assembly;

FIG. 7 is an end view of the assembly of FIG. 6; FIG. 8 is a sectionalview taken on line 8-8 of FIG.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken on line 99 of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken on line 10-l0 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the actuating mechanism including theactuating frame, the applicator roll, and the interconnecting linkage;

FIG. 12 is a view showing the manual operation of the labelling machineof the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a view, partly in section, through a second preferredembodiment of piston and cylinder mechanism and control valve assembly;

FIG. 14 is a view of a portion of a spool valve;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a bushing used in the embodiment ofFIG. 13; and

FIG. 16 is a view, partly in section, showing another embodiment of theinvention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With reference initially toFIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, a specific embodiment of a hand heldlabelling machine in accordance with the present invention includes abase frame 10, a handle 12, a printing head 14 and related supportingframe 16, a feed assembly 18, a drive mechanism 20 and sensing mechanism22. Base frame 10 includes a pair of spaced parallel side plates 24 and26 attached adjacent their rearward ends to the upper half 28 of thehandle assembly 12. Also attached to the rearward ends of the base frameside plates 24 and 26 is an upstanding magazine 30 which serves as asource of label supply and includes a pair of spaced parallel arms 32and 34 bearing discs 36 and 38, respectively, intermediate their lengthsfor the support of a roll 39 of labels carried on a continuous strip orbacking tape, all as described in detail in the above noted Patent No.3,440,123.

With reference also to FIG. 3 of the drawings, it will be seen that theside plates 24 and 26 also carry a feeder frame 40 pivoted between theside plates, as at 42 and journalling a pinion 44, a gear and one-wayclutch mechanism 46 and a feed roller 48, again, all as explained indetail in the above noted patent. The feeder frame also carries acamming surface 50 and the side plates of the base frame journal anidler roller 52 in opposition to the feed roller 48. As noted above, theprinting head 14 is carried by a supporting frame 16 and this frame, asseen in FIGS. l-3 of the drawings, is formed of a pair of parallelsupporting plates 54 and 56. The plates 54 and 56 are attached to theprinting head 14, as at 58 and 59, and are maintained in spaced,parallel relationship by means of the clevis 60 and spacer block 62.Clevis 60 is fixed in place by means of the bolt 59 and a pin 64 whileblock 62 is held in place by rivets 66. It will also be noted thatclevis 60 is provided with a camming surface 61 positioned in oppositionto and for engagement with the cam surface 50 of feeder frame 40. Theprinting head supporting frame 16 is pivotally mounted between the sideplates 24 and 26 by means of the pivot pin to permit pivotal movement ofthe printing head 14 towards and away from the printing platen 72 whichis also fixed between the side plates 24 and 26. A pair of extensionmembers 74 and 75 are bolted to the front end of the side plates andpivotally mount the ink pad carriage 76 for pivotal movement in a mannerto be described. A pair of springs 78 and 80 are attached at theiropposite ends to the printing head 14 and ink pad carriage 76 and tendto urge the ink pad 81 carried thereby into contact with printingindicia 82 carried by the printing head.

The forward end of the printing platen 72 carries a turning bar 84 aboutwhich the strip of labels is reversely bent as it is fed through thelabelling machine to cause the backing strip to be stripped from thepressure sensitive labels carried thereby. Immediately to the rear ofthe turning bar is an indexing mechanism 86 which is pivotally mounted,as at 88 and bears at its forward end a pair of claw like members 89. Aswill be noted from FIGS. 1 and 3 of the drawings, to the rear of itspivotal connection 88 to the side plates 24 and 26 the indexingmechanism 86 is positioned oppositely the camming surface 90 mounted onthe feed frame 40, and the supporting plate 54 bears a rack 91engageable with the teeth of the pinion 44. FIGS. 1 and 3 of thedrawings also show the positioning of the actuating means 92 of thedrive section 20 within the hollow handle 12 formed by the upper andlower handle sections 28 and 29.

The actuating means 92, as best seen in FIGS. 6-10 of the drawingsconsists of a housing 93 formed of a first cylinder tube 94, a second orvalve tube and a third or inlet tube 96, all held together in fixedrelationship to each other by a hardenable material such as a syntheticresinous material 97. Tubes 94 and 95 are provided with inlet and outletopenings 98 and 99, respectively, communicating with each other throughthe ports 100 formed in the hardenable material 97.

Tube 95, in addition to the outlet openings 99, is provided with anopening 101 which communicates with an opening 102 in an enlargedportion 103 of the inlet tube 96. The enlarged portion 103 of the tube96, as best seen in FIG. 10 of the drawings, is concavely shaped toengage the external surface of the tube 95 so that these two members canbe brought into closely contacting relationship and held in position bythe hardenable material 97 to provide free communication from theinterior of the tube 96 to the interior of the tube 95. Tube 96, at itsend opposite the enlarged portion 103 is provided with a second enlargedportion 104 internally threaded for a fitting 105 (see FIGS. 1 and 3 ofthe drawings).

A piston 106 is slidably received in the cylinder 94 and carries a pairof cup-type seals 107 between an upstanding central flange 108 and apair of aperatured outer flanges 109. An end cap 110 is threadablyreceived in a screw-threaded opening 111 of the housing 93, retainingwithin the cylinder a spring 112 which urges the piston 106 to the rightas seen in FIG. 6 of the drawings. A piston rod 113 is attached to thepiston 106 and extends outwardly through a central opening formed in theend cap 110 with an O-ring ll4.seated in a groove in the end cap andengaging the exterior surface of the piston rod.

The valve tube 95 slidably receives a spool valve 1 having annularlyshaped lands 116 positioned inwardly of its ends. The spool valve isurged to the left as seen in FIG. 6 by means of a spring 117 seated inone .end of the spool valve and in a pocket 118 formed in housing 93 andhaving a vent opening 119 therefrom.

As best seen in FIGS. 1, 3 and 11 of the drawings an upstanding portion120 of a linkage mechanism 122 is engagable by a spool valve extension123 threadably received in the spool valve. Linkage mechanism 122, asbest seen in FIG. 11 of the drawings, is substantially U- shaped inconfiguration including a pair of spaced parallel legs 124 and 126, abight portion 128 and inturned ends 130. A U-shaped applicator frame140, including spaced, parallel legs 142 and 144 and an interconnectingbight portion 146 is joumalled, as at 148, to the extension 74 and 75 ofthe side plates 24 and 26.

At their distal ends the leg portions 142 and 144 are apertured toreceive the inturned ends 130 of the legs 124 and 126 and, at a pointintermediate their ends and the bight portion 146, the legs 142 and 144journal an applicator which can be in the form of a roll 150, although,it will be apparent that the applicator can take other forms such asfoot or presser plate or presser fingers. It will also be seen thatintermediate the printing platen 72 and the idler roller 52 mechanism,referenced in its entirety by the numeral 152, is positioned to properlytension the label backing strip to prevent undesired slack in materialbeing fed through the labelling machine.

As noted above, the labelling machine of the present inventionincorporates advantageous features of the la- .belling machine describedin Pat. No. 3,440,123. Thus, a roll of pressure sensitive labels adheredto a continuous backing strip is mounted between the upstanding arms 32and 34 by means of the discs 36 and 38 carried by these arms and a stripof labels is passed downwardly between the guide chute 154 and theprinting platen 72, thence around the turning and stripping bar 84, thento the rear and upwardly between the drive and idler rollers 48 and 52respectively.

Unlike the prior art mechanism, however, it is unnecessary to applymanual power to a pair of opposed handles to actuate the printing headand the drive mechanism, nor are three separate movements necessary,namely, squeezing the handle together to print a label, releasing thepressure on the handles to advance the printed label, and wiping theprinted label on the arti-.

cle. Instead, the labelling machine, with a printed label 159 positionedopposite the applicator roll 150, is placed in contact with an articleto be labelled, indicated by the reference numeral 160 in FIG. 12 of thedrawings.

As the label is applied in a single wiping action by the applicator roll150, the roll 150 and the associated frame 140 pivot about pivotalconnection 148, driving the legs 124 and 126 and the upstanding centralportion 120 rearwardly against the pressure of spring 117 of the spoolvalve. This causes the spool valve to shift to the left as seen in FIGS.1 and 3 of the drawings, causing fluid under pressure to be admitted tothe left hand side of the piston 106 driving the piston to the right asseen in FIGS. 1 and 3, and actuating the printing and drive mechanism.

Forward movement of the piston rod 113 is transmitted by block 161mounted on the end of the piston rod and causes the clevis 60 to pivotthe supporting frame 16 about its pivot point 70, driving the printinghead 14 downwardly towards the printing platen 72. The ink pad carriage76 carrying the pad 80, having applied ink to the characters 82 carriedby the printing head, is deflected out of the path of travel of theprinting head 14 by means of the cams 162 carried on either side of theprinting head 14 in opposition to the camming surfaces 164 on theopposed legs of the carriage 76.

Continued downward movement of the printing head 14 causes the inkedindicia 82 to provide the desired printing on a label positioned at thattime on the printing platen 72. It will also be noted that as thesupporting frame 16 moves downwardly the cam surface 61 of the clevis 60engages the opposed cam surface of the drive frame, pivoting itdownwardly about the pivot point 42 and causing the cams 92 to engagethe rearward ends of the indexing mechanism 86 to lift the claw likemembers 90 from engagement with regularly spaced notches in the strip ofbacking labels, all as explained in detail in the above noted Pat. No.3,440,123.

Once a printed label has been applied to an article 160 the labellingmachine is retracted therefrom, allowing the spring biased extension 123of valve 115 to press forward, pivoting the frame 140 to its initialposition and directing pressurized fluid to the front side of the piston106. This of course, causes the supporting frame 16 and printing head 14to pivot upwardly from the position shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings tothat shown in FIG. 1.

It should be noted that the initial downward movement of the supportingframe 16 caused the rack 94 carried by the side supporting frame 54 toengage the pinion 44. However, the pinion 44 is connected to the feedwheel 48 by the gear and one way clutch mechanism 46, which permits onlycounter clockwise (as seen in FIGS. 1 and 3) rotation of the pinion 44to be transmitted to the feed wheel 48. Therefore, the initial downwardmovement of the rack 94 and the resulting clockwise rotation of thepinion 44 has no effect upon the feed wheel 48. However, as the rack 94moves upwardly due to the upward movement of the supporting frame 16,the resulting counter clockwise movement of the pinion 44 is transmittedto the feed wheel 48 causing this wheel to rotate in a clockwise manneras seen in FIGS. 1 and 3 of the drawings in driving relationship withidler 52.

It will also be noted that the upward movement of the side supportingframe 16 releases the pressure exerted on the index mechanism 86 by thecams 89 on the feeder frame 40 so that the claw like members 89 thereofrest once again on the backing strip moving through the labellingmachine. Therefore, when the ends 89 of the indexing mechanism come to anotch in the strip they drop downwardly, camming the feed wheel 48upwardly out of driving relationship with the idler roll 52 todiscontinue further movement of the label strip through the labellingmachine and provide precise indexing of the labelling striptherethrough.

With reference now to FIGS. l315 of the drawings a second preferredembodiment of piston and cylinder mechanism and control valve thereforwill be described. The assembly 170, as seen in FIG. 13 of the drawings,is similar in many respects to assembly 92 described above. Thus, theassembly 170 includes a housing 172 consisting of a first or cylindertube 174, an inlet tube, not shown, but the same as the inlet tube 96 ofFIGS. 6-10 of the drawings, and a valve section, referenced in itsentirety by the numeral 176.

Within the cylinder 174 a piston 178 is slidably received and carries apair of cup-type seals 180 between an upstanding central flange 182 anda pair of spaced apertured end flanges 184. An end cap 186 is threadablyreceived in one end of the housing and compresses a spring 188 whichtends to urge the piston 178 to the right as seen in FIG. 13 of thedrawings. The end cap 186 is centrally apertured and slidably receives apiston rod 190 which also passes through the O-ring type seal 192.

However, whereas the assembly of FIGS. 610 of the drawings utilized asecond tube fixed in place by the hardenable material as the valve tube,the embodiment of FIG. 13 dispenses with the valve tube and instead thevalve body is formed directly in the hardenable material of theassembly. Thus, the valve body 176 is provided with a central bore 194having shouldered portions 196 adjacent each end thereof and each of theshouldered portions receives a resilient ring member 198 which iscomplementarily configured to the shoulders 196 and force fitted intoplace.

A spool bushing 200 having a series of four equally spaced openings 202formed therein is next frictionally fitted in place in the inner ringmembers 198 and a second, substantially identical pair of outer ringmembers 199 are then force fitted into the valve body to hold thebushings 200 into place. Just prior to the positioning of the second,outer ring members 199 within the valve body the two-piece spool valve204 consisting of identical sections 205 is inserted into the valve bodyfrom opposite ends thereof and the threaded right hand end or stem 206of the left-hand section of the spool valve is threaded into aninternally threaded socket or shank 208 formed in the left hand end ofthe right hand section of the spool valve. The two sections of the spoolvalve are identical and carry land portions 210 which cooperate with thering members to maintain the spool valve within the valve body and withthe ring members and bushings to selectively vent pressurized fluid toopposite sides of the piston 178. Thus, it will be apparent from aninspection of FIG. 13 of the drawings that fluid under pressure admittedinto the annular space between internal walls of the bore 194 and theexternal surface 206 of the spool valve will be directed to the left asseen in FIG. 13 of the drawings through the openings 202 of the lefthand bushing 200 and thence to the left hand side of the piston, drivingit to the position shown in FIG. 13 of the drawings. At the same time,the right hand land 210 of the spool valve contacts the inner right handring member 198 in sealing relationship therewith. Upon shifting of thespool valve to the right as seen in FIG. 13 of the drawings the lefthand land member 210 will be pressed into sealing engagement with theinner left hand bushing 198 and fluid will be admitted through theopenings 202 of the right hand bushing and thence, to the right handside of the piston 178, driving it to the left in opposition to theforce exerted by the spring 188. With the above construction it will benoted that not only is a positive sealing engagement provided within thevalve, but that the spool valve may be formed from two identicalmembers.

It should be noted that in each of the piston and cylinder and controlvalve assemblies described above a light weight yet strong constructionis provided by combining the various tubes of the assemblies in ahardenable material. By integrating light weight metal tubes with asynthetic resinous or other hardenable material the weight of theassembly can be reduced to well under grams and in an actual assembly isapproximately 16 grams.

Turning now to FIG. 16 of the drawings, another preferred embodiment ofthe present invention will be described. In the labelling machine shownin FIGS. 1-3 of the drawings power is supplied by means of the fluidpressure operated piston and cylinder mechanism and control valve. Inthe embodiment shown in FIG. 16 of the drawings, power is derived fromelectromagnetic means illustrated as being a rotary solenoid 226. A pushrod arm 220 is pivotally attached as at 222 to a crank arm 224 of thesolenoid 226. The applicator which may take a variety of forms, as notedabove, but is shown in the present instance as a roller 228 journalledbetween a pair of arms 230 which are pivotally mounted on the labeller,as at 232. A pair of contacts 234 are positioned in opposition to arearwardly extending extension 235 of the arms 230 so that theapplication of a label by the applicator 228 will close the contacts234, energizing the motor 226 and causing it to rotate in the directionof the arrow a desired amount. This causes the same sequence of theevents to occur as occur upon extension of the piston rod of theembodiments of FIGS. 13. As the labeller is removed from contact withthe article labelled the contacts 234 open, deenergizing the motor 226and allowing spring 236 to retract the crank arm to the left as seen inFIG. 16 of the drawings. Current is, of course, supplied to the motor226 from any conventional source of power as indicated by the leads 238.

Alternately, the solenoid 226 can be operated by closure of aswitch 240which is operated by a trigger 241. The trigger 241 is engageable andoperable by the users index finger. In this regard it will be noted thatthe embodiment of FIGS. 1-3 can also be manually'actuated. Thus, a bellcrank is pivotally mounted, as at 152, in the handle 12 and is providedwith a bifurcated section 154 straddling the extension 123. A pushbuttom 156 is also received in a shouldered opening 158 in the handle 12and bears against leg 169 of the bell crank 150. Depressing the buttom156, therefore, it will shift the spool valve to the left as seen inFIG. 1. Releasing pressure on the button will, of course, allow spring117 to shift the spool valve back to the right as seen in FIG. 1.

From the above it will be seen that labelling apparatus according to thepresent invention provides a hand held, automatic unit which requiresvery little muscular exertion, coordination or physical dexterity andpermits the printing, dispensing and application of labels with a simplewiping action.

While the form of apparatus herein described constitutes a preferredembodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the inventionis not limited to this precise form of apparatus, and that changes maybe made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A piston-cylinder and control valve assembly, comprising: a tubularmember defining a cylinder having first and second openings formedthrough the wall thereof at spaced-apart locations, a piston slidablyreceived in the cylinder, the cylinder openings being disposed to enablethe piston to be driven in either of two directions in the cylinder, aninlet tube having an inlet opening, moldable plastics material disposedaround the cylinder and the inlet tube for holding the cylinder and theinlet tube in fixed relationship with respect to each other, a bore inthe plastics material communicating with the atmosphere, the bore havingshoulders, two pairs of spaced-apart resilient ring members received inthe bore, one ring member of each pair being disposed against arespective shoulder, a separate spool bushing received and held by eachpair of ring members, the bushings having respective first and secondvalve openings, passages through the plastics material providingcommunication between the first and second valve openings adjacentrespective shoulders and the respective first and second cylinderopenings, the bore having an inlet opening between the first and secondvalve openings communicating with the inlet tube, and a positionablespool valve comprised of two identical sections secured to each other,each section having a land cooperating with the respective spoolbushing, the lands being disposed relative to the respective valveopenings to alternately 1) provide communication between the inletopening, the first valve opening and the first cylinder opening to drivethe piston in one direction and to vent one side of the cylinder throughthe second cylinder opening and the second valve opening to theatmosphere and (2) provide communication between the inlet opening, thesecond valve opening and the second cylinder opening to drive the pistonin the other direction and to vent the other side of the cylinderthrough the first cylinder opening and the first valve opening to theatmosphere.

2. A piston-cylinder and control valve assembly,

comprising: a tubular member defining a cylinder having first and secondopenings formed through the wall thereof at spaced-apart locations, apiston slidably received in the cylinder, the cylinder openings beingdisposed to enable the piston to be driven in either of two directionsin the cylinder, an inlet tube having an inlet opening, moldableplastics material disposed around the cylinder and the inlet tube forholding the cylinder and the inlet tube in fixed relationship withrespect to each other, an elongated bore in the plastics materialcommunicating with the atmosphere, spool bushing means disposed in thebore, the bushing means having first and second valve openings spacedapart in the elongated direction of the bore, passages through theplastics material providing communication between the first and secondvalve openings and the respective first and second cylinder openings,and a positionable spool valve comprised of two identical sectionssecured to each other, each section having a land cooperating with thebushing means, the lands being disposed relative to the valve openingsto alternately l provide communication between the inlet opening, thefirst valve opening and the first cylinder opening to drive the pistonin one direction and to vent one side of the cylinder through the secondcylinder opening and the second valve opening to the atmosphere and (2)provide communication between the inlet opening, the second valveopening and the second cylinder opening to drive the piston in the otherdirection and to vent the other side of the cylinder through the firstcylinder opening and the first valve opening to the atmosphere.

3. A piston-cylinder and control valve assembly, comprising: a tubularmember defining a cylinder having first and second openings formedthrough the wall thereof at spaced-apart locations, a piston slidablyreceived in the cylinder, the cylinder openings being disposed to enablethe piston to be driven in either of two directions of the cylinder,moldable plastics material disposed around the cylinder and having anelongated bore communicating with the atmosphere, the bore having aninlet opening, spool bushing means disposed in the bore, the bushingmeans having first and second valve openings spaced apart in theelongated direction of the bore, passages through the plastics materialproviding communication between the first and second valve openings andthe respective first and second cylinder openings, and a positionablespool valve comprised of two identical sections secured to each other,each section having a land cooperating with the bush- 1 ing means, ahollow shank extending from one side of the land, and a stem extendingfrom the other side of the land, the stern of the one spool valvesection being received in the shank of the other spool valve section,the lands being disposed relative to the valve openings to alternately(1) provide communication between the inlet opening, the first valveopening and the first cylinder opening to drive the piston in onedirection and to vent one side of the cylinder through the secondcylinder opening and the second valve opening to the atmosphere and (2)provide communication between the inlet opening, the second valveopening and the second cylinder opening to drive the piston in the otherdirection and to vent the other side of the cylinder through the firstcylinder opening and the first valve opening to the atmosphere.

4. A piston-cylinder and control valve assembly, comprising: a tubularmember defining a cylinder having first and second openings formedthrough the wall thereof at spaced-apart locations, a piston slidablyreceived in the cylinder, the cylinder openings being disposed to enablethe piston to be driven in either of two directions in the cylinder,moldable plastics material disposed around the cylinder and having anelongated bore communicating with the atmosphere, the bore having aninlet opening, spool bushing means disposed in the bore, the bushingmeans having first and second valve openings spaced apart in theelongated direction of the bore, passages through the plastics materialproviding communication between the first and second valve openings andthe respective first and second cylinder openings, and a positionablespool valve comprised of two identical sections secured to each other,

each section having a land cooperating with the bushing means, a hollowshank extending from one side of the land and having an internallythreaded socket and a threaded stem extending from the other side of theland, the stern of the one spool valve section being threadably receivedin the shank of the other spool valve section, the lands being disposedrelative to the valve openings to alternately (1) provide communicationbetween the inlet opening, the first valve opening and the firstcylinder opening to drive the piston in one direction and to vent oneside of the cylinder through the second cylinder opening and the secondvalve opening to the atmosphere and (2) provide communication betweenthe inlet opening, the second valve opening and the second cylinderopening to drive the piston in the other direction and to vent the otherside of the cylinder through the first cylinder opening and the firstvalve opening to the atmosphere.

5. A piston-cylinder and control valve assembly, comprising: a tubularmember defining a cylinder having first and second openings formedthrough the wall thereof at spaced-apart locations, a piston slidablyreceived in the cylinder, the cylinder openings being disposed to enablethe piston to be driven in either of two directions in the cylinder,moldable plastics material disposed around the cylinder and having anelongated bore communicating with the atmosphere, the bore having aninlet opening, spool bushing means disposed in the bore, the bushingmeans having first and second valve openings spaced apart in theelongated direction of the bore, passages through the plastics materialproviding communication between the first and second valve openings andthe respective first and second cylinder openings, a positionable spoolvalve having lands cooperating with the bushing means, the lands beingdisposed relative to the valve openings to alternately 1) providecommunication between the inlet opening, the first valve opening and thefirst cylinder opening to drive the piston in one direction and to ventone side of the cylinder through the second cylinder opening and thesecond cylinder opening, through the other valve opening to theatmosphere and (2) provide communication between the inlet opening, thesecond valve opening and the second cylinder opening to drive the pistonin the other direction and to vent the other side of the cylinderthrough the first cylinder opening and the first valve opening to theatmosphere, and means for both completely mounting the bushing means inthe bore and for providing a seal against the lands.

6. A piston-cylinder and valve assembly, comprising: a tube defining acylinder, a piston slidable in the tube, moldable plastics materialdisposed around the tube and having an elongated bore, at least oneopening providing communication between the bore and the tube, a spoolvalve having lands disposed in the bore, spool bushing means disposed inthe bore and having valve openings cooperating with the lands, andresilient means disposed between the bore and the bushing means forcompletely mounting and sealing the bushing means in the bore and forproviding a seal against the spool valve at the ends of the respectivelands.

7. An assembly as defined in 'claim 6, wherein the spool bushing meanscomprises a pair of spaced apart spool bushings, the resilient mountingand sealing means comprising a pair of resilient ring members dis posedbetween each bushing and the bore, one ring member of each pair beingcooperable with the valve at the one end of the respective land in oneposition of the valve and the other ring member of each pair beingcooperable with the valve at the other end of the respective land inanother position of the valve.

8. An assembly as defined in claim 6, wherein the spool bushing meanscomprises a pair of spaced apart spool bushings, the resilient mountingand sealing means comprising a pair of resilient ring members disposedbetween each bushing and the bore, one ring member of each pair beingcooperable with the respective land in one position of the valve and theother ring member of each pair being cooperable with the respective landin another position of the valve, the valve having a pair of identicalinterconnected sections, each section comprising one of said lands, athreaded stem, and a hollow shank having a threaded socket, the stem ofone section being threadably secured by the socket of the other section.

9. An assembly as defined in claim 6, wherein the valve includes a pairof identical interconnected sec-

1. A piston-cylinder and control valve assembly, comprising: a tubularmember defining a cylinder having first and second openings formedthrough the wall thereof at spaced-apart locations, a piston slidablyreceived in the cylinder, the cylinder openings being disposed to enablethe piston to be driven in either of two directions in the cylinder, aninlet tube having an inlet opening, moldable plastics material disposedaround the cylinder and the inlet tube for holding the cylinder and theinlet tube in fixed relationship with respect to each other, a bore inthe plastics material communicating with the atmosphere, the bore havingshoulders, two pairs of spaced-apart resilient ring members received inthe bore, one ring member of each pair being disposed against arespective shoulder, a separate spool bushing received and held by eachpair of ring members, the bushings having respective first and secondvalve openings, passages through the plastics material providingcommunication between the first and second valve openings adjacentrespective shoulders and the respective first and second cylinderopenings, the bore having an inlet opening between the first and secondvalve openings communicating with the inlet tube, and a positionablespool valve comprised of two identical sections secured to each other,each section having a land cooperating with the respective spoolbushing, the lands being disposed relative to the respective valveopenings to alternately (1) provide communication between the inletopening, the first valve opening and the first cylinder opening to drivethe piston in one direction and to vent one side of the cylinder throughthe second cylinder opening and the second valve opening to theatmosphere and (2) provide communication between the inlet opening, thesecond valve opening and the second cylinder opening to drive the pistonin the other direction and to vent the other side of the cylinderthrough the first cylinder opening and the first valve opening to theatmosphere.
 2. A piston-cylinder and control valve assembly, comprising:a tubular member defining a cylinder having first and second openingsformed through the wall thereof at spaced-apart locations, a pistonslidably received in the cylinder, the cylinder opEnings being disposedto enable the piston to be driven in either of two directions in thecylinder, an inlet tube having an inlet opening, moldable plasticsmaterial disposed around the cylinder and the inlet tube for holding thecylinder and the inlet tube in fixed relationship with respect to eachother, an elongated bore in the plastics material communicating with theatmosphere, spool bushing means disposed in the bore, the bushing meanshaving first and second valve openings spaced apart in the elongateddirection of the bore, passages through the plastics material providingcommunication between the first and second valve openings and therespective first and second cylinder openings, and a positionable spoolvalve comprised of two identical sections secured to each other, eachsection having a land cooperating with the bushing means, the landsbeing disposed relative to the valve openings to alternately (1) providecommunication between the inlet opening, the first valve opening and thefirst cylinder opening to drive the piston in one direction and to ventone side of the cylinder through the second cylinder opening and thesecond valve opening to the atmosphere and (2) provide communicationbetween the inlet opening, the second valve opening and the secondcylinder opening to drive the piston in the other direction and to ventthe other side of the cylinder through the first cylinder opening andthe first valve opening to the atmosphere.
 3. A piston-cylinder andcontrol valve assembly, comprising: a tubular member defining a cylinderhaving first and second openings formed through the wall thereof atspaced-apart locations, a piston slidably received in the cylinder, thecylinder openings being disposed to enable the piston to be driven ineither of two directions of the cylinder, moldable plastics materialdisposed around the cylinder and having an elongated bore communicatingwith the atmosphere, the bore having an inlet opening, spool bushingmeans disposed in the bore, the bushing means having first and secondvalve openings spaced apart in the elongated direction of the bore,passages through the plastics material providing communication betweenthe first and second valve openings and the respective first and secondcylinder openings, and a positionable spool valve comprised of twoidentical sections secured to each other, each section having a landcooperating with the bushing means, a hollow shank extending from oneside of the land, and a stem extending from the other side of the land,the stem of the one spool valve section being received in the shank ofthe other spool valve section, the lands being disposed relative to thevalve openings to alternately (1) provide communication between theinlet opening, the first valve opening and the first cylinder opening todrive the piston in one direction and to vent one side of the cylinderthrough the second cylinder opening and the second valve opening to theatmosphere and (2) provide communication between the inlet opening, thesecond valve opening and the second cylinder opening to drive the pistonin the other direction and to vent the other side of the cylinderthrough the first cylinder opening and the first valve opening to theatmosphere.
 4. A piston-cylinder and control valve assembly, comprising:a tubular member defining a cylinder having first and second openingsformed through the wall thereof at spaced-apart locations, a pistonslidably received in the cylinder, the cylinder openings being disposedto enable the piston to be driven in either of two directions in thecylinder, moldable plastics material disposed around the cylinder andhaving an elongated bore communicating with the atmosphere, the borehaving an inlet opening, spool bushing means disposed in the bore, thebushing means having first and second valve openings spaced apart in theelongated direction of the bore, passages through the plastics materialproviding communication between the first and second vaLve openings andthe respective first and second cylinder openings, and a positionablespool valve comprised of two identical sections secured to each other,each section having a land cooperating with the bushing means, a hollowshank extending from one side of the land and having an internallythreaded socket and a threaded stem extending from the other side of theland, the stem of the one spool valve section being threadably receivedin the shank of the other spool valve section, the lands being disposedrelative to the valve openings to alternately (1) provide communicationbetween the inlet opening, the first valve opening and the firstcylinder opening to drive the piston in one direction and to vent oneside of the cylinder through the second cylinder opening and the secondvalve opening to the atmosphere and (2) provide communication betweenthe inlet opening, the second valve opening and the second cylinderopening to drive the piston in the other direction and to vent the otherside of the cylinder through the first cylinder opening and the firstvalve opening to the atmosphere.
 5. A piston-cylinder and control valveassembly, comprising: a tubular member defining a cylinder having firstand second openings formed through the wall thereof at spaced-apartlocations, a piston slidably received in the cylinder, the cylinderopenings being disposed to enable the piston to be driven in either oftwo directions in the cylinder, moldable plastics material disposedaround the cylinder and having an elongated bore communicating with theatmosphere, the bore having an inlet opening, spool bushing meansdisposed in the bore, the bushing means having first and second valveopenings spaced apart in the elongated direction of the bore, passagesthrough the plastics material providing communication between the firstand second valve openings and the respective first and second cylinderopenings, a positionable spool valve having lands cooperating with thebushing means, the lands being disposed relative to the valve openingsto alternately (1) provide communication between the inlet opening, thefirst valve opening and the first cylinder opening to drive the pistonin one direction and to vent one side of the cylinder through the secondcylinder opening and the second cylinder opening, through the othervalve opening to the atmosphere and (2) provide communication betweenthe inlet opening, the second valve opening and the second cylinderopening to drive the piston in the other direction and to vent the otherside of the cylinder through the first cylinder opening and the firstvalve opening to the atmosphere, and means for both completely mountingthe bushing means in the bore and for providing a seal against thelands.
 6. A piston-cylinder and valve assembly, comprising: a tubedefining a cylinder, a piston slidable in the tube, moldable plasticsmaterial disposed around the tube and having an elongated bore, at leastone opening providing communication between the bore and the tube, aspool valve having lands disposed in the bore, spool bushing meansdisposed in the bore and having valve openings cooperating with thelands, and resilient means disposed between the bore and the bushingmeans for completely mounting and sealing the bushing means in the boreand for providing a seal against the spool valve at the ends of therespective lands.
 7. An assembly as defined in claim 6, wherein thespool bushing means comprises a pair of spaced apart spool bushings, theresilient mounting and sealing means comprising a pair of resilient ringmembers disposed between each bushing and the bore, one ring member ofeach pair being cooperable with the valve at the one end of therespective land in one position of the valve and the other ring memberof each pair being cooperable with the valve at the other end of therespective land in another position of the valve.
 8. An assembly asdefined in claim 6, wherein the spool bushing means comprises a pair ofSpaced apart spool bushings, the resilient mounting and sealing meanscomprising a pair of resilient ring members disposed between eachbushing and the bore, one ring member of each pair being cooperable withthe respective land in one position of the valve and the other ringmember of each pair being cooperable with the respective land in anotherposition of the valve, the valve having a pair of identicalinterconnected sections, each section comprising one of said lands, athreaded stem, and a hollow shank having a threaded socket, the stem ofone section being threadably secured by the socket of the other section.9. An assembly as defined in claim 6, wherein the valve includes a pairof identical interconnected sections.